Freedom, how long will it last?

Azerbaijani opposition parties have held an unsanctioned demonstration in Baku to demand that authorities permit them to hold public gatherings in the center of the capital. Dozens of activists, united in a group called the Public Chamber, gathered in a downtown Baku park on May 14. Police prevented protesters from marching to the mayor’s office, and several demonstrators were arrested. It was the second protest this month by the Public Chamber, which plans to publicly protest human-rights violations in Azerbaijan during the hosting of the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest in Baku on May 22-26. ======================================================== Geysar Gurbanov is a civil rights activist from Azerbaijan. He advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights in the South Caucasus. Watch other videos on his YouTube channel (youtube.com Learn more about the South Caucasus at South Caucasus Diary (southcaucasus.blogspot.com).

This year one of the world’s biggest TV shows comes to Azerbaijan. Human rights organizations are urging the Azerbaijani government to address the truth about the country’s human rights record, and to release all Prisoners of Conscience (political prisoners and journalists) held since last spring following anti-government protests. In order to support this cause local journalists and human rights advocates have launched “Sing for Democracy” campaign. Azerbaijan’s human rights record deteriorated in 2011 and 2012. The government cracked down on all forms of protest and imprisoned dozens of youth activists after sham trials. Although the number of government-initiated criminal and civil libel cases against journalists decreased, the atmosphere for journalists and other critics remained hostile. The government’s so-called beautification campaign in central Baku, the capital, resulted in forced evictions and illegal demolitions. Restrictions on freedom of religion and torture and ill-treatment in custody also persisted. In 2012 among other cases, it is important to mention journalist Khadija Ismayil (who became a victim of sexual blackmail after her intimate video was released) and journalist Idrak Abbasov (who was severely beaten for filming illegal evictions). Copyright is owned by Human Rights Watch. ======================================================== Geysar Gurbanov is a civil rights activist from Azerbaijan. He advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights in the …

A fast scene of a huge march demanding the step-down of the government. Today 20th of April on Budaiya main road. A year has passed since the killing of peaceful demonstrators by the security forces as a result of the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters in Bahrain. Despite several announcements on positive steps being taken by the government to ensure accountability, we have not seen any outcome of reported government investigations into allegations of torture and it is unclear how many people involved in human rights abuses have been brought to justice. Hundreds of people are still facing criminal charges in Bahrain for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Meanwhile, many others, dismissed from their work place or university for exercising these very rights have yet to be reinstated. Subscribe: www.youtube.com

The US decision to station forces in the Philippines could have dangerous repercussions. Beijing may enact economic sanctions after Manila invited in US troops in response to an escalating territorial dispute over the South China Sea. Dr. Pak-Nung Wong of the City University of Hong Kong told RT that the Philippines is merely cashing in on America’s move. “At the international level, the Philippines knows that the US has definitely returned to Asia — refocusing its military and security deployment in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, targeting China and Iran as the primary security concern,” he said. “At the regional level, the Philippines also sees that there are recent changes in the regional politics, particularly in Taiwan, where Mr. Ma Ying-jeou and Kuomingtang [party] administration were successfully re-elected. That means Beijing and Taipei would have a more stable relationship, especially in terms of economic integration across the Strait in the coming years,” Wong explained. The scientist also noted that the Philippines has realized that the US will need a more reliable ally in the Asia-Pacific region and is acting accordingly. “The Philippines is willing to lend its hand to the American ally for that kind of particular security concern that the US is having in the Asia-Pacific region,” he explained. Another important factor in the unfolding political game, Wong continued, is public opinion in China. “I have already noticed there’s a tremendous pressure from the …

Join Us: 20 Ways to Circumvent the Egyptians Gov’ts Internet Block is.gd www.accessnow.org anonnews.org http Governments of the world: Those holding political power in Egypt have chosen to answer the people’s calls for democracy with lethal violence. International organisations must take it upon themselves to heed these calls at this turning point in history. Democratic governments cannot idly stand by. We call upon you to take action and show the world that you are on the side of the people and their fight for freedom and democracy. Your support of the popular uprisings in Arabic countries has been ambiguous, if not absent altogether. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exemplified the indecisiveness of the international community as she claimed that the US “could not take sides”. Neutrality amounts to complicity as totalitarian regimes are showing their contempt for the citizens’ right to protest. Mubarak’s regime attempted to disconnect the Egyptian people from the rest of the world by cutting off internet communication, while his foot soldiers shot civilians and assaulted domestic and international journalists. It is up to you to work for the people and support the universal right to freedom of speech. It is your prerogative to oppose violent regimes, regardless of your political affiliation. The geopolitical concerns for ‘stability’ have for far too long served as an excuse to ignore the violations of human rights. People throughout the Arab world have been victimized …

“From Harvard to Prison” is a short video about Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, an Azerbaijani youth activist and blogger currently serving a two-year prison sentence on trumped-up charges of evading military service. His imprisonment has been protested by human rights organizations. Do not stay indifferent and demand the government of Azerbaijan to immediately release Bakhtiyar Hajiyev. Show your support by sharing this video with your friends and colleagues. It takes only one click. Azerbaijan’s human rights record deteriorated in 2011. The government cracked down on all forms of protest and imprisoned dozens of youth activists after sham trials. Although the number of government-initiated criminal and civil libel cases against journalists decreased, the atmosphere for journalists and other critics remained hostile. Restrictions on freedom of religion and torture and ill-treatment in custody also persisted. Geysar Gurbanov is a civil rights activist from Azerbaijan. He advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights in the South Caucasus. Watch other videos on his YouTube channel (youtube.com Learn more about the South Caucasus at South Caucasus Diary (southcaucasus.blogspot.com).

Even worse than SOPA: CISPA cybersecurity bill will censor the Web. FREEDOM Coming to an END? An onrush of condemnation and criticism kept the SOPA and PIPA acts from passing earlier this year, but US lawmakers have already authored another authoritarian bill that could give them free reign to creep the Web in the name of cybersecurity. As congressmen in Washington consider how to handle the ongoing issue of cyberattacks, some legislators have lent their support to a new act that, if passed, would let the government pry into the personal correspondence of anyone of their choosing. HR 3523, a piece of legislation dubbed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short), has been created under the guise of being a necessary implement in America’s war against cyberattacks. But the vague verbiage contained within the pages of the paper could allow Congress to circumvent existing exemptions to online privacy laws and essentially monitor, censor and stop any online communication that it considers disruptive to the government or private parties. Critics have already come after CISPA for the capabilities that it will give to seemingly any federal entity that claims it is threatened by online interactions, but unlike the Stop Online Privacy Act and the Protect IP Acts that were discarded on the Capitol Building floor after incredibly successful online campaigns to crush them, widespread recognition of what the latest would-be law will do has yet to surface to …

This year one of the world’s biggest TV shows comes to Azerbaijan. Amnesty International is urging the hosts to address the truth about the country’s human rights record, and to release all Prisoners of Conscience held since last spring following anti government protests. Copyright is owned by Amnesty International. World Report 2012: Azerbaijan’s human rights record deteriorated in 2011. The government cracked down on all forms of protest and imprisoned dozens of youth activists after sham trials. Although the number of government-initiated criminal and civil libel cases against journalists decreased, the atmosphere for journalists and other critics remained hostile. The government’s so-called beautification campaign in central Baku, the capital, resulted in forced evictions and illegal demolitions. Restrictions on freedom of religion and torture and ill-treatment in custody also persisted. Azerbaijan continued to deny access to the country for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. Geysar Gurbanov is a civil rights activist from Azerbaijan. He advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights in the South Caucasus. Watch other videos on his YouTube channel (youtube.com Learn more about the South Caucasus at South Caucasus Diary (southcaucasus.blogspot.com)

World Human Rights Report 2012: Azerbaijan’s human rights record deteriorated in 2011. The government cracked down on all forms of protest and imprisoned dozens of youth activists after sham trials. Although the number of government-initiated criminal and civil libel cases against journalists decreased, the atmosphere for journalists and other critics remained hostile. The government’s so-called beautification campaign in central Baku, the capital, resulted in forced evictions and illegal demolitions. Restrictions on freedom of religion and torture and ill-treatment in custody also persisted. Azerbaijan continued to deny access to the country for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on political prisoners in Azerbaijan. Geysar Gurbanov is a civil rights activist from Azerbaijan. He advocates for peace, democracy, and human rights in the South Caucasus. Watch other videos on his YouTube channel (youtube.com Learn more about the South Caucasus at South Caucasus Diary (southcaucasus.blogspot.com)

www.hrw.org (Baku, February 29, 2012) — The government of Azerbaijan has forcibly evicted homeowners and demolished their homes for urban development projects in Baku, the capital, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Dozens of families have been evicted from the neighborhood where the arena for the May 2012 Eurovision Song Contest is being built. Watch other videos on Geysar Gurbanov’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com Learn more about the South Caucasus at South Caucasus Diary (southcaucasus.blogspot.com) Twitter twitter.com Facebook: facebook.com